Thursday, July 22, 2010

Unelectric Slides

This is the first roll of slide film I've ever shot. I used my Gold Harikin (Vivitar Clone) and a roll of slightly expired Fuji Sensia 100 ISO 35mm. I don't think it's possible to take a bad picture with this camera, except perhaps to underexpose the film.




More:

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Hitchcock in 35mm

If my memory serves, last night's screening of Psycho was the 4th Alfred Hitchcock film I'm seen from a 35mm print at the Victoria Theatre, the others being North by Northwest, Strangers on a Train, and Vertigo.

As always, there was an organ concert prior to the show, then a Loony Toons short. Psycho wasn't a new print. I'm guessing it was part of some 1980's re-release. Of course there were some scratches and wear to the print, but what was a little distracting was the difference in color between the reels. The first reel was a beautiful B&W, but the second reel had a yellow tint to it, the third a green tint, then it was pretty much good B&W to the end, but the mono sound was consistent throughout.

The first time I saw Psycho was sitting alone in a dark room watching a midnight movie on TV, so it was a much different experience seeing it with an audience, although there were no hysterics as there might have been in 1960 at the shower scene. In fact, the Arbogast murder seemed to shock people more because the music peaks so suddenly.

Psycho stands as 50-year-old example that a director can successfully manipulate the emotions of an audience through acting, editing, and scoring without resorting to nudity and gore like the three sequels.


Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Yet another free camera

This one was given to me by another instructor at work. I've never heard of the brand, but when I looked it up it turns out that they never actually made anything, but were a distributor for low-end cameras and lenses made in China. So here's the latest:



And what it looks like at the moment, as I try to modify it to allow for double exposures.